NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHARTER SCHOOL AUTHORIZERS
105 W ADAMS STREET, CHICAGO, IL 60603 www.qualitycharters.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO PROMOTE THE ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS THROUGH RESPONSIBLE OVERSIGHT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST. NACSA SERVES THE EDUCATION AND RESOURCE NEEDS OF THE FULL RANGE OF CHARTERING AUTHORITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WHOSE WORK IS VITAL TO ENHANCING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS AND SERVICING THE NEEDS OF PARENTS, EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS FOR GREATER EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

PROMOTE ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS THROUGH RESPONSIBLE OVERSIGHT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST.

POLICY AND COMMUNICATION NACSA ENGAGES PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EDUCATION POLICY ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE NATION TO ADVANCE STRONG CHARTER SCHOOL AUTHORIZING POLICIES AND PRACTICES. NACSA COLLABORATES WITH CHARTER AND EDUCATION POLICY ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE DATA AND EVIDENCE TO INFLUENCE POLICYMAKERS AND PROMOTE POLICIES THAT IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS. AS AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOL AUTHORIZING, NACSA ALSO SERVES AS A LEADERSHIP ORGANIZATION IN THE CHARTER SECTOR AND HELPS NATIONAL AND LOCAL MEDIA INTERPRET HOW EVENTS IN THE NEWS ARE IMPACTING CHARTER SCHOOL PERFORMANCE AND OVERSIGHT.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES PROVIDE AN ARRAY OF TARGETED ACTIVITIES TO MEET AN AUTHORIZER'S NEEDS. NACSA CONDUCTS A LANDSCAPE OR NEEDS ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE WHERE AN AUTHORIZER IS IN MEETING NATIONAL BEST PRACTICES, AND THEN PROVIDING TARGETED ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE AND SET A PATH FORWARD. SERVICES RANGE FROM PLANNING AND EVALUATION TO RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT TO DECISION MANAGEMENT. RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT INCLUDES POLICIES, PROTOCOLS, AND KEY CHARTERING TEMPLATES SUCH AS THE PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK. IT ALSO INCLUDES GUIDANCE ON EFFECTIVE PRACTICES RELATED TO APPLICATION DECISION MAKING, SCHOOL MONITORING AND OVERSIGHT, PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, RENEWAL DECISION MAKING, AND SCHOOL CLOSURE. DECISION MANAGEMENT SERVICES ALLOW AUTHORIZERS TO RELY ON NACSA TO DEVELOP AND MANAGE RIGOROUS, MERIT-BASED PROCESSES FOR KEY AUTHORIZER DECISIONS INCLUDING DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER TO APPROVE NEW SCHOOL APPLICATIONS. NACSA'S PURPOSE IS TO HELP AUTHORIZERS MAINTAIN HIGH STANDARDS AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS WHILE RESPECTING THE AUTONOMY THAT IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF THE CHARTER IDEA. IN PURSUIT OF THAT GOAL, NACSA'S PRINCIPLES & STANDARDS OF QUALITY CHARTER AUTHORIZING (PRINCIPLES & STANDARDS) PROVIDE THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DELIVERY OF TECHNICAL SUPPORT SERVICES. FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2004 AND REGULARLY UPDATED, THESE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS ARE USED TO GUIDE AUTHORIZING PRACTICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ARE REFERENCED IN STATE STATUTES. NACSA'S PRINCIPLES & STANDARDS REFLECT BEST PRACTICES IDENTIFIED THROUGH YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN WORKING WITH AUTHORIZING AGENCIES OF ALL TYPES AND SIZES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE PRINCIPLES ARTICULATE CORE BELIEFS THAT UNDERGIRD QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOL AUTHORIZING, WHILE THE STANDARDS DESCRIBE ESSENTIAL AUTHORIZING RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN CARRYING THEM OUT. THE PRINCIPLES & STANDARDS ARE A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING AND FULFILLING THE CRITICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHARTER SCHOOL AUTHORIZERS. THESE GUIDELINES ARE DISSEMINATED AND SHARED WITH AUTHORIZERS, INFORM STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATION, AND SERVE AS THE BASIS FOR EVALUATION OF AUTHORIZER PRACTICES.

HUMAN CAPITAL AND SUBGRANTS NACSA RECOGNIZES THE IMPACT OF HUMAN CAPITAL NEEDS OF THE NATION'S CHARTER SCHOOL AUTHORIZERS ON THE OVERALL IMPROVEMENT OF QUALITY IN THE SECTOR. NACSA'S HUMAN CAPITAL INITIATIVES WORK TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF QUALITY INDIVIDUALS ENTERING THE FIELD, TO CULTIVATE AND DEVELOP HIGH-POTENTIAL TALENT ALREADY WORKING IN AUTHORIZING, AND TO BUILD A POWERFUL NETWORK OF CURRENT AND FUTURE EFFECTIVE LEADERS TO HELP RETAIN THEM IN THE SECTOR. NACSA'S INITIATIVES IN THESE AREAS INCLUDE ITS LEADERS PROGRAM, RECENTLY CREATED ALUMNI PROGRAM, A BOOTCAMP DELIVERED IN MULTIPLE MEDIUMS, VARIOUS COHORTS RESPONDING TO CONTEXTUAL AND LANDSCAPE-BASED NEEDS, AND OTHER TARGETED ASYNCHRONOUS AND SYNCHRONOUS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. WITH A GRANT FROM A PRIVATE FOUNDATION, NACSA WAS ABLE TO AWARD SUB-GRANTS TO ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTING CITIES ENGAGED IN A DISTRICT-CHARTER COLLABORATION COMPACT PROGRAM (COMPACT PROGRAM). THESE ONE-TIME, LUMP SUM GRANTS WERE AWARDED TO EACH CITY BASED ON COMPLETION OF A COMPACT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ITS CHARTER SCHOOLS ALONG WITH THE SUBMISSION OF AN APPROVED APPLICATION. WITH THE SUNSET OF THIS PROGRAM IN FISCAL YEAR 2019, SUB-GRANTS UNDER WERE NOT AWARDED FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2020. FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2019, 103,376 IN SUB-GRANTS WAS AWARDED. INVESTMENTS MADE UNDER THIS PROGRAM WERE TARGETED TO ACTIVITIES SUPPORTING THE OBJECTIVES OF THE DISTRICT'S COMPLETED COMPACT. APPLICANTS WERE EVALUATED IN TERMS OF THEIR PROPOSAL'S ALIGNMENT WITH THE GOALS OF THE COMPACT PROGRAM, POTENTIAL FOR IMPACT ON COMPACT PROGRAM OBJECTIVES; LEVEL OF DETAIL IN PROJECT PLAN; AS WELL AS CLARITY AROUND GOALS, DELIVERABLES AND MEASURES OF SUCCESS.

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